... none of this WRC nonsense:
need4speedx.free.fr/presentation.php
French website.
The flying Quattro on the large video download from the Audi page has to be seen to be believed.
For younger viewers, Group B cars were too fast too race so FIA banned them :-(
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For younger viewers, Group B cars were too fast to race so FIA banned them
During the 1986 Port Wine rally in Portugal, a Ford RS200 left the road on a spectator stage, killing three and injuring dozens; after the crash, all the works teams withdrew from the rally.
But the final blow for Group B came on May 4, 1986:
Lancia's lead driver, Henri Toivonen, was dominating the 1986 championship and the Tour de Corse rally when his S4 left the road during a twisty tarmac stage. The car went off the edge of the road, hitting trees and rocks while sliding down a hillside. Toivonen and his navigator, Sergio Cresto, were killed. There were no witnesses to the crash, and the subsequent fire completely destroyed the car, leaving the remains unrecognizable as a vehicle. The heat from the fire was so intense that all that remained of the car was a blackened space frame. Group B was instantly cancelled for the 1987 season; Ford and Audi withdrew from Group B immediately. The other works teams decided to see the season out.
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it was about this time l stopped going it really was a sad time.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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good site, great cars but whats that citroen doing in there?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I was an impressionable 12/13 year old when we used to go to Chatsworth and Clumber to watch the RAC. I'll never forget the noise of a group B quattro at full whack - unbelievable! Shame Audi dont make 5 cylinder engines anymore...
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Quattro noise was/is exceptional, but 6R4 was better, and still beating modern cars at National level.
Group B cars occasionally appear at events, but no racing allowed though:
www.slowlysideways.com/
Two events this year in the UK: Stoneleigh and Mallory Park.
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The Toivonen crash certainly contributed to the demise of Group B, but I think the real reason was the fatalities amongst spectators; looking at some of the video footage on the link it's surprising that more spectators weren't killed.
Audi's proposed 1000bhp Quattro probably didn't help the Group B cause, but I would have paid lots of money to be strapped into the thing.
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We'll have to agree to disagree on whether the Audi or Metro sounds best! ;o)
I just recently bought a DVD on 80's rallying, and yeah the cars were stupidly fast, but the Portuguese spectators were totally irresponsible, and the organisers should have done something about it.
I might try and get to that Mallory Park event. I'm kicking myself I didnt get to the Rallyday 2005 at Castle Combe.
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AFAIK, plumbed in fire extinguishers were not compulsory at the time of Toivenens crash, and his was removed to save weight!
I've a feeling the crash was used for political ends to restore some common sense. Matters were were becoming silly and you've only got to look at what group S would have brought.
The Tom Hammond Pikes Peak replica Quatro wasn't road legal, but it has to be one of the most impressive tin tops I've ever seen at an event. Would pop and explode on the overrun, and squeek from the wastegate, yet idle and trundle about the paddock almost like a road car. Accelerate, nah, it just teleported from one bend to another!
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Fabulous noise those Audis used to make, and their acceleration was unbelievable. I only saw and heard one in the flesh at Shelsley Walsh, and the wastegate was an important part of the sound: 'VrooomBLATvrooooomBLATvroooooooomBLATvrooooooooo.....' Superb.
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